Why write? To tell the world, or your journal, what's in your mind and heart. To start exploring a new identity. To write yourself relaxed and healthy! Or maybe, just for the sheer enjoyment of words!

My Background

I started writing soon after I could hold a pencil. When I grew up, I worked at the Chicago Sun-Times, where I was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. I then landed a job as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal in New York. Fast forward, add three children, and my heart opened up to creative writing. I wrote my first piece of fiction in 1990 and published my first novel, Dreaming Maples, in 2002. My second novel, Seeing Red, came out in 2011 and I am close to completing a third novel. Meanwhile, I earned a Ph.D. in English and Creative Writing in 1996 and taught English, journalism and creative writing at the University at Albany for 14 years. My work has been published in numerous literary journals across the U.S. as well as in national publications including The New York Times, Business Week, Parents,The Washington Post and the Huffington Post.

“Anyone can learn to write. Start by putting down your pen. Close your eyes and take a deep, deep breath!”